Saturday, October 14, 2017

Video: Missed Out on IBMA Festivities? We Can Help You Catch Up.

International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass and Wide Open Bluegrass
Various venues, Downtown Raleigh
Tuesday, September 26–Saturday, September 30, 2017

With the fifth installment of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, it’s easy to get fatigued by the crowds as well as the bands, some of which have repeated with each year that the festival rolls into town. That's not to say that there weren't any exciting new acts at this year's festival—you just had to dig a bit to find them.

But as it turned out, the very first act I checked out at the Tuesday night Bluegrass Ramble might have been the very best. With soaring harmonies and close ties to the traditional side of bluegrass music, The Price Sisters effortlessly lit up the Longview Center and the church’s natural acoustics lending a hand to lift the sister duo’s voices even higher.

Just across Moore Square that same Tuesday night, The Pour House was hosting the PineCone and Bluegrass Situation Shout and Shine showcase, which boasted a diverse group of roots artists. With The Ebony Hillibillies as a headliner, the event sought to give a bigger platform to more marginalized acts in roots music. Other delightful discoveries during the weekday rambles included The Slocan Ramblers, The Wooks, Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, and the Tyler Williams Band, all proof of how well curated the ramble showcases are as well as further evidence that there are fresh and new faces coming through the festival each year.

Below are just a few clips of that played throughout the weekend that was the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass 2017. For more, click through to YouTube and peruse the whole channel.